The Beer Nut: Freshman brewers share their beer and their history

Norman Miller Daily News Staff @Norman_MillerMW

Wednesday

Mar 7, 2018 at 12:00 PM

NATICK – It was like speed dating, but with beer.

On Saturday, the Massachusetts Brewers Guild held the second “Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class,” at Lookout Farm in Natick. The event featured nine breweries from throughout the state that opened its doors for the first time in 2017.

The event is unique compared to other beer festivals. In Massachusetts, attendees purchase a ticket to a festival and then have unlimited samples of beer. The problem is, you find yourself rushing from brewery to brewery to try to get all of the beer you can.

That wasn’t a problem at the Meet the Brewers event. All attendees were split up into groups of eight. You’d stick with the same group from the beginning of the event to the end. You’d start at one table, each manned by a particular brewery. You spend 12 minutes at each table where the owner and/or the brewer poured you samples of the beer while, at the same time, discussed the history of their brewery, the beers they have or answer questions. After the 12 minutes were up, you’d move to another table and start the process over.

The event was as much about education as it was about trying new beers. Not that trying new beers is anything to sniff at. In 2017, 39 new breweries opened in Massachusetts and it’s nearly impossible to visit every single one. The Meet the Brewers event was a good way to try beers from breweries you may have not had a chance to visit.

“This is a great event for us to be able to showcase some of the new brewers that are opening in the state,” said Mass. Brewers Guild Executive Director Katie Stinchon. “We really hope we can keep doing this and to educate the consumers.”

The event worked as a fundraiser for the brewers guild, which acts as the trade group for Massachusetts brewers, providing education to brewers and breweries and legislative aid to help the brewing industry.

Each brewery spoke about different things. Shovel Town owner Frank Altieri gave the history of the brewery’s name (North Easton is famous for shovel making), while Moby Dick Brewmaster Scott Brunelle discussed his brewing career, which dates back more than two decades.

“It gives brewers a way to really connect with people,” said Turtle Swamp owner John Lincecum. “Massachusetts used to be a center for brewing and we kind of lost that in the ‘80s. We can do that again and this event shows that Massachusetts has a chance to be a destination for brewing.”

Ryan Lavery, co-owner of Widowmaker Brewing, said the event was a good way to introduce his beers to people who may be hesitant to make the trip down to Braintree.

“It was definitely a good event for us,” said Lavery. “We got to meet a lot of people and let them try our beers.”

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call at 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at blogs.wickedlocal.com/beernut. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.